NEW YORK CITY: Saudi Arabia serves as a leading example to the world for digital transformation, the director-general of the multilateral Digital Cooperation Organization said on Monday.
It came as the organization announced a slew of new measures to help lift developing countries out of so-called “digital poverty.”
Hajar El-Haddaoui was speaking in New York City, a day after her Riyadh-headquartered global institution signed a landmark memorandum of understanding with the Future Investment Initiative Institute, a nonprofit organization run by the Saudi Public Investment Fund.
Launched in 2020 during Saudi Arabia’s presidency of the G20, the DCO began with five members: the Kingdom, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait and Pakistan. Over the past five years, membership has grown to 16 states from the Arab world, Africa, Europe and Asia, with a combined population of about 800 million people and total gross domestic product of $3.5 trillion.
During a briefing held alongside the 80th UN General Assembly, El-Haddaoui outlined the DCO’s newest initiatives, including: “WE-Elevate,” a scheme designed to empower female entrepreneurs in the digital economy; a landmark treaty on the use of artificial intelligence; partnerships with prominent organizations such as the World Economic Forum and UN Women; collaborations with tech giants such as Microsoft, Nvidia and TikTok; and the launch of a comprehensive data analysis tool to help countries address digital deficiencies.
